Tule and Teaching

Last weekend I went visited a tree called Tule. It is over 2000 years old and has the widest trunk on earth. This tree was huge. Some of the branches looked as though they could be tree trunks. It was interesting because there were knots in the tree that looked like lion heads and there was one part the tree connected to a branch that looked like an antelope's head. We didn't spend too much time at Tule, but my home stay mom said that if you just sit and look at the tree you can see all kinds of different animals and things. The trunk of Tule looks as though it could be multiple trees but it has been proven to be the same tree. The diameter of the tree if it was smoothed out is 30.8ft making it the widest tree in the world.
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This past week my teaching partner Liz and I have finally been able to start to teaching some classes. It has been so much fun. We work really well together and come up with some dynamic lesson plans. It is an interesting situation because she is an elementary teacher and I am a high school teacher. Normally you are paired up with someone of the same grade levels as you. So we get to teach in an elementary school, middle school and high school. I enjoy being in the elementary school and I think that the young kids are very nice and funny, but I am definitley more comfortable in the high and middle schools.

Before we started teaching, Liz and I were a little worried about classroom management. The kids here are just so full of energy and are constantly yelling and getting out of their seats. We have observed many classes where there was maybe only 10 minutes of actual instruction the entire block. However, when we get in front of the class the kids are attentive for the most part. We really don't have much trouble getting them to stay on task and do their work. I think that team teaching is a great help with this because as one of us is speaking in front of the class the other person can wander around making sure the kids are on task. The classes still tend to be loud but I really enjoy all the enthusiam and energy the students have. I feel more comfortable when there is noise in the class rather then when it is all quiet. Especially when we give the students activities to do, it's great to hear them discussing with each other and practicing their English. I really enjoy teaching here and it will be very interesting to go back home and experience the differences in the classroom.